The Auswine Forum

Got to thinking about what influence a nice wine label has on purchasing. For me, very little I think... I tend to stick to known producers or recommendations.

Nonetheless, there are some daggy but lovable wine labels out there.

A couple spring to mind:

- Bowen Estate
- Leo Buring

or

- Passing Clouds /Graeme's Blend (top name too!)

But there are others, in the more classic mould:

- Metala (black and white labels)
- Johns Blend

Suggestions for other candidates?

One man's daggy is another mans classic.

I think Bowen's and LB are pretty classical. I would put Wendouree, Woodlands and Balgownie in the same boat.

Would have to agree on the Graeme's Blend though...so daggy I don't think it even qualfies as retro cool.

Cheers,

LL

Agree on the Bowen, it is on the classic side of dag.

Kellmeister's "The Sable" by a country mile has to be the most daggy label I've ever seen. The 70's style couple pictured look to be direct from an old porn movie or an audition for the next Cougar ad with Barry Dawson.

Cheers,
Ian

cats pee on a goosberry bush sauvignon blanc made by coopers creek

crap wine, cool label

Agree on the Sable, Ian. I've always loved that label though because it is just so bad.

Thought they might have updated it by now even but probably not.

Wines for Brad

http://www.winebybrad.com.au/

At giant tastings if i have no background on the wines, i've made a bit of a strange game of going for the daggy labels first

i figure if they don't have great design, maybe their minds are more on the winemaking process??

Tahbilk's standard range labels are daggy but manage to be classic due to the style that has been maintained for so long. The reserve and 1860s labels are undoubtably classic and classy.

Labels such as Mildara's Coonawarra some may consider bland but I think they look classy. Bowen does look outdated, a bit too garagiste, maybe that's why I've never bought any but more likely the variability of opinion and vintage quailty I've read about. Wendouree labels are also garagiste, rustic but the price and availablility is why I've never bought any. Zema looks good somehow but don't know why, maybe a bit of a classic style but also a bit fussy in a 70s way, without quite the classy look of Mildara. Rockbare's label looks good, I like it's modern, restrained style, perhaps should buy some - I thought the 02(?) was reasonable value. Then of course there's D'Arenberg Original. Somehow it doesn't look as good as it did 20 years ago but it still looks good.

Art-based labels are a matter of artistic appreciation and can confuse the buyer. I preferred the Wilson Vineyard riesling 99 label over the 05's.

So, labels can be considered from many perspectives. No-one here buys wines because of the label's aesthetic appeal but I'd postulate that the label's visual appeal can augment, add to the drinker's enjoyment of the wine from the bottle.

Think about it. Why are wines tasted blind?

Cheers

daz

I think the Mollydooker labels are the wierdest I have ever seen.
Maybe the Wedouree labels could do with some updating - but well, I guess we are used to it after all these years, so best left as is.

Here's a website devoted to the more wacky & unusual labels on bottles around the world:

http://www.winelabels.org/labels.htm

Cheers,
Ian

Ps. Has anyone else read/heard the story that the 'Bullamakanka' name was chosen by a winemaker because (unknown his bosses at Seppelt) it was Aboriginal slang for Bull****?